Argentina an ordinary team with one extraordinary player, says Belgian coach Marc Wilmots

The Belgian coach said that his team didn't play up to the mark but was still very 'proud of the boys.'

Wilmots lauded Belgium’s performance in the tournament but said he was unhappy with the team’s showing against Argentina. (Source: AP)

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots branded Argentina “a very ordinary team with one extraordinary player” after they overcame his side 1-0 in the World Cup quarter-finals here.

“I’m not at all impressed by Argentina,” Wilmots told a post-match press conference at Brasilia’s Mane Garrincha National Stadium.

“They’re a very ordinary team with one extraordinary player,” he added, in an apparent reference to Argentina captain Lionel Messi.

Belgium struggled to create chances after falling behind to an eighth-minute Gonzalo Higuain goal and Wilmots was unable to disguise his frustration at the outcome of the game. “We saw Argentina’s experience,” he said.

“They break the rhythm, they take 40 seconds to take a throw-in, and they’re never brought to order by the referee.

“We made some very small mistakes, but we learnt a lot tonight. We’re very disappointed, everyone is very down, but I’m very proud of the boys.”

While Argentina also hit the bar through Higuain and saw Messi thwarted by Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in an injury-time one-on-one, Wilmots did not feel that they were clearly superior to his team.

“We can always expect more, but we expended a fair amount of energy against the United States (in the last 16),” he said.

“And them (Argentina), how many shots on target did they have? If I’d done that, I’m sure the Belgian press would have criticised me for not trying to play.”

Wilmots elected to withdraw the ineffective Eden Hazard with 15 minutes to play, but the coach said it was due to a need to give his team more height in attack, rather than a reflection of the Chelsea winger’s performance.

“I’m talking about the team as a whole. I don’t want to talk about individuals,” he said when asked about Hazard’s display.